Trailer light



Feb. 2; 1937. E, J, FRASER 2,069,239

TRAILER LIGHT Filed April 8, 1936 In #en orf Edwin IJ-Fraser Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES man Lrcnrr Edwin J. Fraser, Riverside, m., assigner in Keeshin Motor Express Co. Inc., Chicago, Ill.,

corporation` of Illinois Application April s, 193s, serial No. 73,4321 4 cwi-as. (ci. 24o-7.1)

'Ihis invention relates to improvements in riding lights, and particularly to simplliled, easily removable light units of the nature disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 66,403, illed 5 February 29, 1936. l

Heretofore the riding lights provided for trailers were generally built directly into the trailer body and were sofset and constructed that they were extremely dimcult to dismantle for repair or the insertion of new bulbs, particularly upon their being broken or smashed by collision or otherwise, in which case the trailer body was usually vso broken or dented that immediate repair or ref placement of the lights was impossible. 'I'his not only produced a serious and expensive problem of maintenance, but also often made it necessary for a trailer to continue after an accident without proper lighting facilities and in direct violation of the state laws. Furthermore, most of the trail. ers as manufactured are provided with only two riding lights located at the rear, and one light located on the port side at the forward end of the trailer sothat when it is necessary to operate the trailer through several states. the purchaser is compelled to install additional riding lights inl order to comply with the laws of the several states' in which the trailer is to be operated. Under such circumstances the maximum number of lights must be provided for on the trailer, and as these lights are generally irremovable, the trailer has to be operated with the maximum number of lights even though traveling in a state where a s lesser number of lights is required, with a resultant and unnecessary expense and battery load. It

was to overcome these dimculties that the present invention was devised.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved trailer light that is readily removable and renewable; to provide as an article 40 of manufacture anew and improved trailer riding light which is detachably secured to the trailer body; to provide a more simpliiled form and arrangement of trailer light; to provide a unitary trailer light construction capable of severe usage;

and to provide an improved trailer riding Vlight which is simple in construction and operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of the rear end of a trailer showing trailer lights in operating position.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of an improved lighting unit showing the device and its receptacle .attached to a trailer body and in operating posivcentrally on the closed end of the casing 2 and projecting therefrom, a lamp socket 4 housed within the casting Zand secured centrally at the closed end thereof, a lamp 5 and a bowl-shaped lens detachably secured at the open end of the casing by means of a split ring fastener 1 seated in an annular groove surrounding the margin of the open end of the casing.

A receptacle socket 8 for the light unit is mounted in an outlet box 9 which is arranged to be secured to the underside of the oor boards I0 of th trailer adjacent the side frames I2 thereof by means of wood screws II.

'I'he receptacle socket 8 as shown comprises a hollow cylindrical member opened at one end and externally threaded in the open end as at I3, and a pair of oppositely disposed bayonet slots I4 are formed in its side walls and extend inwardly from the open end. An aperture I5 is provided at the closed end of the socket. Y

As shown the socket 8 is mounted in the outlet box 9 by securing the same in an opening of the outlet box cover plate 20 by means of lock n'uts 2| and 22 which are threaded onto the socket 8 and disposed one on each side of the cover plate. The cover plate 20 is secured to the outlet box Qin the usual manner by means of screws 23.

' The socket 8 is also provided with a disc or button-like contact element or member I6 secured to one end of the lead-in wire I'I and the contact element I6 is arranged to seat on a helical compression spring I8 which is disposed between the end of the socket 8 and the contact element so as to normally urge the latter outwardly.

A conduit 24 is secured to the outlet box 9 in the usual manner and houses the two wires I1 and Il.I which are connected at one end to a. source of current not shown, usually a battery, and at the other end to the contact element I6 and the receptacle respectively.

'I'he base 3 of the lighting unit I is provided with a pair of keys or lugs I9 which protrude outwardly from the side walls thereof and the unit is detachably connected to the socket 8 by inserting the base 3 therein, so that the keys or lugs I9 will be engaged with thebayonet slots Il. The base 3 is then forced into the socket, being guided by the bayonet slots, and when the lugs i9 have reached the inner limits of the slots Il, the unit is locked in place by turning `the same clockwise -whereby the lugs become engaged in the lateral extensions ofthe bayonet slots and are held therein through the action of the spring I8, urging the contact element I6 against the end of the base 3. The lighting unit.may be removed by pressing the unit toward the receptacle socket and turning the unit counter-clockwise, whereupon it may be withdrawn.

It will be readily seen that the vpresentinven` tion completely cures the defects and shortcomings of the usual trailer lighting devices and systems through its unitary construction which is arranged to be readily attached or detached to fixed receptacle sockets. When a trailer has been equipped with the improved lighting units the driver may readily and quickly remove the lighting units f rom the receptacles when he arrives at a terminal or when entering a state where a lesser number of lights is required, or upon enltering a state where additional lighting units are required, such units can be readily placed in operation without difficulty or loss of time.

Another advantage of my improved lighting units is that each trailer tool kit may be provided with a predetermined complement of complete lighting units including spare units for replacement of broken or burned out units, so that each driver will at all times have ample lighting means; also when the umts are employed instead of the usual fixed type of lighting devices whenever the trailer is returned to a garage after a run the mechanic, during his routine inspection, can readily `test each lighting unit to make sure that the trailer is provided with and carrying the maximumy legal complement of serviceable units, as well as a proper number of spares.

Another advantage of the unitary feature for trailer lights is that they may be manufactured and supplied to the trucking companies in large quantities and at low cost, the complete lighting unit being handled substantially in the same manner as the individual light bulbs are now sold and dispensed.

Although `but one specic embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it willl be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as definedby the following claims:

Iclaim:` i

1. A trailer light of the class described comprising a lighting unit having a casing, lamp socket and lamp housed within said casing, a lens, and an integral protruding base means provided with a lug on the surface thereof, a'. re-

ceptable mountedunder the floor boards adjacent an edge of the trailer body, a socket arranged in said receptacle and provided with a bayonet slot to receive said lug for quick connection of said lighting unit to said socket, the exposed face end of said socket arranged to lie in a plane substantially ush with the lower exposed edge of the side frame ofthe trailer body.

2. A trailer light of the class described comprising an outlet box, a circular receptacle socket mounted therein and providedwith `a bayonet slot, said receptacle socket being connected to a source of current, and said outlet box being mounted vunder the oor boards and adjacent an edge of a trailer body, in combination with a deunit and receptacle socket in operative relationship. Y

3. A trailer light unit construction comprising a bell-shaped casing `having an integral `cylindrical base protruding from its closed end, said base having av centrallylocated contact at its end and a protruding lug on its sidewall, a lamp socket and a lamp housed within said casing and having connection with said contact, and a lens removably secured on the open end of said casing, an outlet box secured to the under side of the floor boards adjacent an edge of a trailer body, an electrical socket provided with a bayonet slot arranged in said `outlet box and connected to a source of current, the exposed face edge of said socket being arranged to lie in a plane substan- Y tially ush with the lower edge of one of the side framesof the trailer body, said light unit being k arranged for quick attachment to said socket in said outlet box.`

4. As an article of manufacture a trailer light unit comprising a bell-shaped casing having an integral Vcylindrical base projecting centrally from its closed end, said base having a contact member centrally located on its end and insulated therefrom and a lug protruding from its side-` wall, a lamp socket housed within said casing and fastened centrally at the end thereof, a contact in said lamp socket insulated therefrom and having connection with the first named contact mem` l ber, a lamp removably secured in said socket, and `a bow-shaped lens detachably secured on the end of said casing, an outlet box secured to the under side of the floor boards adjacent an edge of a trailer body,4 an electrical socket provided with a bayonet slot arranged in said outlet box and connected to a source of current, the exposed face edge of said socket'being arranged to lie in a plane substantially ush with the lower edge of one of the side frames of the trailer body, said light-unit-being arranged for quick attachment to said socket in said outlet box.

EDWIN J. FRASER. 

